Camp Staff

We are excited to welcome Erica Mangham to the Camp Team.

Prevuiously Erica was the Executive Director for Variety- the Children's Charity International. As the Executive Director, she was responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations, supervising staff, working with the Board of Directors to create the organization's strategic plan in addition to the organization's worldwide strategic plan. She had oversight of 44 offices in 13 counties and worked with each office to create or improve systems to help move the mission forward.

Erica has over 20 years of nonprofit experience. Before working at Variety International, she worked at Best Buddies International as their California State Director, Lupus Research Alliance as the Western Regional Director of Development, Pancreatic Cancer Action Network in the Northeast Region. In addition, she was the owner of a boutique event planning business named THE Event, specializing in nonprofit, corporate, and private social events.

Erica's volunteer endeavors include serving on various boards. She is a current board member with Court Appointed Special Advocacy Los Angeles (CASA). She served as President of the Booster Club for 3- years and served as a board member at the Richstone Family Center, a child abuse and prevention center based in Hawthorne, CA. In addition, she has been a member of a local philanthropic organization called Sandpipers, where she was a board member from 2006-2009 and is a current member of the National Charity League. Past affiliations include the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO), Meeting Professional International (MPI), United Way Speakers Bureau, and Manhattan Beach Chamber Member. Also, she has been an instrumental volunteer to multiple fundraising events, including Golf Tournaments (committee member), Galas (chair), Fun Runs (committee member), Auctions (Chair), Charity Food and Wine Festivals (Chair), Charity Home Tours (Chair) to name a few.

Erica earned her B.S. in Political Science from Cal Poly Pomona and earned her Certificate in Nonprofit Management from UCLA. In addition, she earned a certificate in Diversity and Inclusion through Cornell University. She is a native Californian and lives in Rancho Palos Verdes with her husband, three children, two dogs, one bunny, and two lizards (named spot and gecko). Her hobbies are reading, cooking, Bunco, and playing co-ed softball.

Her favorite quote: "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel" – Maya Angelou.

Brian joined camp in 1988 as Camp Director. Brian currently over sees facility development & operations and works closely with the Camp program team. In addition to his CRM responsibilities, Brian has been a standing faculty lecturer at California State University, Long Beach, Department of Recreational and Leisure Services in the fields of outdoor recreation and organized camp management. In addition, Brian currently serves on the National Board of the American Camp Association (ACA), a Standards Visitor for ACA, chair of the National Council of Leaders Steering Committee; is the past-president and a current board member of Children’s Oncology Camp Association International (COCA- I) strengthening over 120 international camps serving over 35,000 pediatric oncology campers and their families. Brian’s passion for research has led to co-authoring papers on the Psychological Impacts of a Camp Experience for Children with Cancer and the Camp Awareness Project, a multi-facility study assessing the value of a camp experience with healthcare professionals and unserved patient families.. Brian is married to wife and best friend, Corrie, has three grown daughters and is known for his love of Diet Coke.

Chad has been the Program Director for Camp since joining the organization in 2005. Chad’s arrival at Camp Ronald McDonald didn’t follow the “typical” Camp career path.   Chad was born and raised in Carrollton, GA. He attended the University of Georgia where he graduated with a B.S. in Computer Science and a B.A. in Political Science.Upon graduation, Chad went to work for the Department of Defense at the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Dahlgren, VA. His work for the DOD took him to Kirkland Airforce Base in Albuquerque, NM for a year where he initially learned of Camp Ronald McDonald. Chad volunteered for the first time as a counselor at Camp in 2002, fell in love with the community, and continued to volunteer until offered a full-time job with Camp in 2005.

As Program Director, Chad currently oversees all aspects of the Camp Programs including camper recruitment & relations; volunteer recruitment, hiring, & training; and program creation & execution. Chad is involved in the American Camp Association (ACA) serving on the Local Council of Leaders for the Southern California / Hawaii region as the Professional Development Chair, a Standards visitor for ACA, and an instructor for the ACA New Director Orientation class. Chad’s love for being in the mountains and in nature is only exceeded by the love he has for his wife, Mel, whom he first met while both were volunteering at Camp!

Shannon started with Camp as a volunteer 10 years ago and worked three summers as a Seasonal Staff member. She joined the full-time staff in 2017 as our Program Associate. In addition to helping implement the current Camp programs, Shannon is growing  our year-round Wilderness Outdoor Leadership Program (WOLP) and our Alumni Development program.  Shannon comes to Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times with a background in camping and youth development. She spent 7 years working with the YMCA Camps Tulequoia and Sequoia Lake, including two years as Youth Camp Director at Sequoia Lake.  Through her time with the Y and Camp Ronald McDonald, Shannon has developed an extensive skill set in camping and a passion for youth development, particularly in the area of teen programming. In addition, Shannon is soon to be become a standard and accrediation visitor with the American Camp Association. Shannon enjoys escaping to Three Rivers, CA to spend time with her niece & nephew, playing Disc Golf and coaching gymnastics.

Jasmin “Jazzy J” Joya joined the Camp team in 2015 as our Family Relations and Recruitment Coordinator. Jasmin supports parents and families to register for the programs Camp provides and is always available to providing them with helpful resources. Jasmin frequently visits hospitals to spread the word of Camp to prospective families. Prior to becoming a full-time staff member, Jasmin was a camper, volunteer counselor and  interned with Camp for 2 years assisting with summer camp registration, communication, and collateral. She was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, attended the University of California, Riverside where she graduated with a degree in Sociology and Business Administration/Marketing and began the foundation of her passion of philanthropic work. Jasmin is an active nursing volunteer and unit coordinator for the Nursing Volunteering Program at UCLA Health and enjoys discovering new music, traveling, and attending sports games.

Marlene Stang was born and raised in the San Gabriel Valley, where she still lives and enjoys its rich history and cultural diversity.  She graduated from Ramona Convent Secondary School in Alhambra, and earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History/Art History from the University of California Los Angeles.  Over the course of her post-graduate professional life, she has cultivated a passion for service and communication, applying her diverse skill sets to the fields of public relations, journalism, fragrance development, marketing, and fundraising. 

She believes that her journey into philanthropy truly began at age 18, when she became the committed donor of a then small but now world-renowned animal rescue organization.  She began honing her skills as a fundraiser, however, at Proyecto Pastoral - a Boyle Heights-based community non-profit where she served as the Development Officer for nearly six years.  While there, she participated in all fundraising activities with a primary role of researching, writing, and overseeing the submission of grants to government, foundation and corporate funders nationwide.  These included the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Unified School District, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, and the AT&T Aspire program - a key funder of the Promesa Boyle Heights community-school model that is playing a vital role in improving the area’s graduation rates.  Most recently, she has served as a Grant Writer at ChapCare, a Federally Qualified Health Center that provides high-quality medical care and support services to under- and uninsured men, women, and children at eight health centers across the San Gabriel Valley.

As a cancer survivor herself, Marlene is motivated by Camp’s mission to give children with cancer and their siblings an enriching, inspired place at which they can have fun, explore their environment, and realize their strength and potential amidst whatever challenges they face.  In her spare time, she enjoys developing fragrances, travelling the world, playing with her two cats, and spending quality time (eating, preferably!) with her family and friends. 

Brenda Escoto is a bilingual Child Life Specialist, who has devoted over 8,600 hours to helping children cope with varying medical and developmental conditions. As a native Spanish speaker, Brenda strives to bridge the language barrier for children and their families who are often underrepresented within the healthcare setting. She earned her BA in Psychology and MS in Child Life from Azusa Pacific University, where she initially learned of Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times from a professor. Brenda was extremely intrigued by Camp’s mission and applied without hesitation. 

Brenda began her Camp journey as a Cabin Counselor in 2017. She fell absolutely in love with Camp and quickly became fully immersed in its community, volunteering at every session she possibly could. In 2019, Brenda became the Captain of the Counselor Team for Camp’s largest fundraiser, the Walk for Kids. Through social media engagement and virtual fundraising, Brenda led the team in raising record-breaking funds for Camp. In 2021, Brenda transitioned from volunteer to full-time staff, as our Development Associate and Social Media Manager. In the past 5 years, Camp has completely changed and enhanced Brenda's life, both personally and professionally. She is overjoyed and extremely grateful for the opportunity to get more involved with Camp and further serve the community she loves so dearly.

Lauren Dascher is a native New Yorker with 8+ years of experience in the entertainment industry, most notably producing “Life Below Zero,” an Emmy Award Winning television series on National Geographic. She’s a strong communicator with the natural ability to collaborate within a team and creatively solve problems, all while wearing a smile. 

Lauren is a dedicated volunteer with Animal-Assisted Therapy programs in Los Angeles. As a certified pet therapy team, Lauren and her dog Cody, a 6-year old Rhodesian Ridgeback, have been committed to positively influencing the health and well-being of youth and seniors within the community of Los Angeles. They have participated in a youth based reading program with LAPL and most recently joined the renowned Amerman Family Foundation Dog Therapy Program at the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles.

Lauren enjoys practicing yoga, organizing gatherings with friends, visiting her family in New York, and spending time with her dog Cody and her fiancé Chris. She is excited to combine her coordination expertise and passion for the heart-centered mission of Camp Ronald McDonald as Event Manager.

Born and raised in the San Fernando Valley, Waldemar “Wally” Quijano is a proud product of LAUSD public schooling. Being the first generation born and first in his family to attend and graduate University, he has had to work hard to succeed. He graduated from California State University Northridge with a bachelor’s degree in Music Education.  In fact, music is one of Wally’s deep passions.  One of the proudest moments in his musical career was leading the LAUSD All City Honor Marching Band in the 2009 Rose Parade.

While in school he worked for Keep Youth Doing Something (“KYDS”), a local non-profit that provides afterschool programming to at-risk youth in LAUSD. As a KYDS Site Manager for his Alma Mater, Arleta High School, he focused on providing quality programming to his students. From teaching music to establishing courses that were diverse. His central focus was to also create a safe place where students from all backgrounds could come in and further their education and self-expression.

In tandem with working at KYDS, he became a Volunteer Counselor with Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times (“Camp”) in 2013. Soon after, Wally decided to take on a more supportive role and became a Unit Director to help guide and aide counselors at Camp. Wanting to learn and help more, he continued to expand his learning by also training in Camp’s adventure course.  Wally is overjoyed to now work full time as Camp Ronald McDonald’s Administrative Coordinator and aims to take his years of experience both in and outside of the Camp community to support and grow Camp’s ever-evolving priorities to meet our mission.

Mark joined our team in 2015 and is currently our Operation Associate for Facilities. He  works to ensure our campsite grounds and facilities  provide a safe, comfortable and caring experience for our campers and guests. Raised in Michigan, Mark is Michigan State Spartan’s football fan and loves spending time with his daughter.